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Perfect Case Study 3 PDF
Perfect Case Study 3 PDF
AL L RIGHTS RESERVED.
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THE THIRD REASON is related to the constraints of the environment.
So I must admit: the title of this work is somewhat misleading, but still it covers The user interface is a very basic text editor – without the “whistles and
the objective of getting the candidates – you – to come up with their best bells” one usually finds in a professional office environment. Also, the
possible essay taking into account all the constraints and circumstances of this time is very limited (you only get 90 minutes to complete the exercise).
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exercise. All this constrains the candidate from coming up with a “professional”
(or “perfect”) look-and-feel – and content. The markers are fully aware
THE FIRST REASON why a “perfect” Case Study is not possible is of this, don’t worry, but still their judgement may be influenced by these
related to the way the essays are scored. With the current state of imperfections.
technology it is not possible to automate this process, so EPSO has
to rely on human intervention to do the scoring. In fact, your essay As a conclusion, the “perfect” Case Study
will be reviewed by at least two different people (“markers”) and in an solution doesn’t exist.
anonymous way.
HOWEVER, IT IS POSSIBLE TO MAKE IT AS
Even though there are very precise instructions on how to score GOOD AS IT GETS. IT IS THE OBJECTIVE OF
the various aspects of your essay, there is still a margin for personal THIS BOOKLET TO TELL YOU HOW.
interpretation – and judgement. This also means that what may be
“perfect” for one person, may very well not be for another. Being fully
aware of this, EPSO takes into account the different scores by simply
making the average, thus giving the candidate the benefit of the doubt.
However, when the individual scores are too far apart (e.g. more than
3 points, but this is decided by the Selection Board) there is a “third
marking”. The third marking is done independently, usually by a member
of the Selection Board or its President, who knows the criteria even
better than the markers as he or she actually participated in the creation
of the exercise and the instructions to the markers. The result of all this
is maybe not “perfect” but it has the benefit of being impartial – and the
same for all the candidates.
AS PART OF THE exception though: for those competitions where the professional competencies are
only scored with the Case Study, your score for “professional competencies” has to
ASSESSMENT CENTRE
exceed the pass mark (because there is no other score given by another test).
Despite its innocent looks the Case Study is a very important part of the
Assessment Centre. Let’s have a look at some figures. The table below gives you
an overview of the relative importance of every exercise in an Assessment Centre
for AD specialists (8 general competencies, 1 field competence):
GENERALLY SPEAKING, A CASE STUDY IS A REALISTIC AND
RELEVANT BUSINESS PROBLEM. Exercise General (45%) Field (55%) Weight
Case Study 0.25 0.5 39%
Candidates are asked to analyse a problem, interpret data, consider alternatives Competency Based interview 0.25 11%
and produce a written report describing their solutions or recommendations. Oral Presentation 0.25 11%
Normally, at EPSO, the Case Study takes the form of a computer-based written Group Exercise 0.25 11%
exercise. In some competitions, however, candidates are asked to produce a
Interview in the Field 0.5 28%
hand-written document. As such this does not really matter because the content
of your essay is more important than the overall format.
In this table, the second and third columns give the relative importance of every
test as compared to all the tests. So for the general competencies all the tests have
You will receive information about an EU-related scenario, presenting you
an equal “weight” of 0.25 (in fact this is not entirely true as the CBI tests up to 6
various questions you will be asked to answer, solely on the basis of the materials
competencies, meaning that its weight should be higher, but that’s not the point). For
available. For this exercise you will need to be familiar with the EU issues and
the field competencies there are only two tests with an equal weight of 0.5.
the EU institutions, so that you quickly grasp the context of the simulations. The
However, your total score is calculated as a weighted sum of your scores for general
objective of the Case Study is to assess the candidate’s general competencies and
and field competencies. The field competency having a higher weight (55% in this
– for certain competitions - the candidate’s proficiency in the field.
case), this yields a relative weight for each exercise as shown in the last column.
Not all competitions have a Case Study; for AST competitions this is often
The exact figures will vary from competition to competition, but this simple
replaced by an In-tray exercise, which assesses more or less the same
calculation shows clearly that THE CASE STUDY IS THE MOST IMPORTANT
competencies, but at a different level.
EXERCISE, because it accounts for the most points as compared to the other
exercises. This may all sound very complicated, but it isn’t really. The important
The Case Study is only one of the tests you will have to do in the Assessment
thing is that you know exactly for your competition how the Case Study is
Centre. Typically, each of these tests are aimed at assessing four or five
accounted for. This information will be clearly indicated in the Notice of
competencies (see later) and each competency is assessed through at least two
Competition. You will also be informed about the details of your competition
different tests. This means that, in the Assessment Centre, you are “observed”
through your EPSO account.
from different perspectives (i.e. through different tests) in order to get as
complete as possible image of you – and your competencies.
Before going any further, I suggest you have a closer look at the
competencies, as this will allow me to explain some simple tips and tricks to
As such, the Case Study is not eliminatory; the scores you obtain for the various
optimise your performance for this important exercise.
competencies tested will be added to the scores obtained for the other tests
IMPORTANT NOTICE In total, you have 90 minutes for this Case Study. Please answer as precisely
This is a fictitious document only produced for the purpose of this exercise. as you can and write as clearly as possible.
All references to existing states, international organisations, private companies,
departments, their representatives etc. should be considered as mere examples. Please note:
They do not represent any position of these bodies or persons. Participants are therefore Today is Friday, 29 June 200X
advised to rely solely on the information presented in the exercise and not on any prior Last year was 200X-1, next year will be 200X+1
expertise when responding to questions.
For this exercise you will assume the role of X at Y within the Unit (source: EPSO)
responsible for Z. The documentation you need is integrated in this booklet.
You will find in it a certain number of e-mails, reports, articles and other YOUR TIME IS VERY LIMITED, so I would suggest
documents that you will need to analyse and integrate in order to be able to you have a closer look at this example during your
properly deal with the assignment given to you. preparation (right now), and take note of what’s
in it, so that you don’t lose time during the “real”
It is important that you accept the simulated situation as it is presented exercise itself.
to you. Although in a real life situation you would have access to other
sources of information and would be able to consult your colleagues, in All assignments look the same, and they only
this exercise you are limited to the information contained in the exercise differ for the parts that are put in bold in the above
documents. You are, however, allowed to make logical assumptions where example. Obviously, you have to read – and be
information is missing or incomplete. aware – of this information during your “real”
exercise.
You may rearrange the documents in any order you wish and add
remarks or make notes as necessary. However, remember that the
assessors will base their evaluation exclusively on what you write. Therefore,
be sure to write down all the information on which you wish to be evaluated
and be sure to explain the reasoning behind your ideas.
YOUR ESSAY Do not confuse “lists” with enumerations of incomplete sentences or mere
keywords. Try to make concise but grammatically correct and comprehensive
sentences. In other words, make your text fluent and readable. Make your text
READY FOR PRESENTATION. Imagine that you will use it as a hand-out for an
oral presentation you will give to the audience.
YOU CAN DECIDE ON THE STRUCTURE OF YOUR ESSAY RIGHT
One last remark on the user interface of the tool you will have to use at EPSO: this
AFTER READING THE ASSIGNMENT.
is a very simple text editor (similar to Notepad) and you have very few possibilities to
enhance the visual aspect of your work. It is not possible to put words or sentences
In fact, a good structure should always look
in bold, italic or to underline them. You can’t even use different fonts or font-sizes.
like this:
The only way to make your text somewhat clearer – or more attractive – is through
1. INTRODUCTION what I told you before (capitalisation, numbering, lists, blank lines).
2. TITLE OF YOUR ANSWER TO QUESTION 1 NOTE: Even though this is not mandatory it is a good idea to add a header, and
a footer to your work. These would then typically contain the recipient, a title for
3. TITLE OF YOUR ANSWER TO QUESTION 2
the document, the date (header) and a “signature” of the sender (you). Make it
4. TITLE OF YOUR ANSWER TO QUESTION 3 look as if you are writing an email – or a memo – about the subject. By doing so,
you make it clear that you have understood the context of the exercise.
5. CONCLUSIONS
!
NEVER, EVER PUT YOUR (REAL) NAME ANYWHERE IN THE ESSAY.
When putting this structure on paper, leave some blank lines in between the Your work will be marked anonymously (using a “secret” ID). If the
titles. Don’t worry about what you are going to write at this point, you will “fill in document can be linked to a candidate you will be excluded from the
the blanks” later on. It is a good idea to write your titles in ALL CAPITAL LETTERS, competition without further ado.
and even number them, just to make sure that the structure of your text is visible
at first glance. You could also leave a blank line between the titles and the actual
portions of text, to make the structure even more visible.
Now why is this a good structure? Well, because the markers will undoubtedly
be looking for the structure, and will try to find out if you have answered all the
questions. In fact, they will probably go through your essay in a “speed reading”
way (at least in a first reading). You can help them with this by using this structure. support@eutraining.eu
The INTRODUCTION and the CONCLUSIONS are there to make your essay
complete. Even though not absolutely necessary, it will show the reader that
you are delivering a completed work, and that you did not run out of time while
writing it. This will be even more the case if you write a compelling introduction
and a well-thought-out conclusion.
YOUR ESSAY USE THE RIGHT SOURCES. Sometimes, the background documentation is
“enriched” with information coming from less relevant sources. A typical example
could be a report that has been published by an “interest group” or lobbyist. I am
not saying that this information is not relevant, but it certainly is less important
than what is said by “official” sources (institutions, governments, scientists, etc.).
IT IS CLEAR THAT THE CONTENT OF
You may find some interesting ideas for your solutions or recommendations
WHAT YOU WRITE IS EVEN MORE IMPORTANT THAN
though.
THE STRUCTURE OF YOUR TEXT.
As a collaborator who is asked to produce a report for your hierarchy YOUR
The markers are specialists in your field themselves, so you have to demonstrate
OPINION MATTERS. It is by bringing your personal assessment of the situation
to them that you have really understood the questions that are asked and that you
that you show that you have the depth and breadth of knowledge in the field.
can come up with acceptable and realistic solutions or recommendations.
When your opinion is deviating from the treaded paths especially, you should
argue the point with strong and verifiable evidence, using facts instead of
A first and important remark can be found in the assignment:
assumptions.
“It is important that you accept the simulated situation as it is presented to
you. Although in a real life situation you would have access to other sources of
Try to use SMART solutions and recommendations (see Annex 1). Nobody
information and would be able to consult your colleagues, in this exercise you
is served with vague statements having no quantifiable elements in terms of
are limited to the information contained in the exercise documents. You are,
outcome or timing. Ideally, one can also measure and monitor the progress of
however, allowed to make logical assumptions where information is missing or
time-bound objectives.
incomplete”.
ENCOURAGE COMPROMISE. Usually, there are different stakeholders with
You will have to ACCEPT THE CONTEXT as confined in the documentation and
very distinct positions and arguments. Very few “real life” situations are clear
stay within this context. So, if your Case Study is about CO2 emissions of cars in
and obvious. Don’t let yourself be confused by the complexity of the file and
the EU, you should not start talking about greenhouse gases that are emitted by
try to find a good compromise; a compromise that marries the interests of all
households or industrial activity worldwide. This does not, however, mean that in
stakeholders but without jeopardising the “greater interest” of a community,
your solutions or recommendations you cannot suggest anything that puts things
society or humanity as a whole.
in a wider perspective.
One last tip about the background information: you may find one or two
You will also have to ACCEPT THE DATA. The position of the various
press articles (extracts from newspapers, magazines or news sites) in the
stakeholders, the facts and the figures as presented in the background
documentation. It is a very good idea to have a look at these first. Why? Because
information may not correspond to reality. Even if you know “the truth” you
(good) journalists are very good at summarising a situation and inform their public
should rely on what’s in the documentation to build your arguments. However,
in layman’s terms. You may in fact find all the answers to the questions right
when there is information missing or incomplete you can add details of your own.
there. All it takes, then, is to reformat the information and make it stick to the
In fact, in doing so, you demonstrate your knowledge in the field.
assignment of your Case Study.
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THE LENGTH OF YOUR ESSAY IS AN IMPORTANT ELEMENT Start by writing down the structure of your essay (you can do so right
USED FOR THE ASSESSMENT OF ITS QUALITIES. after reading the assignment). Read more about this in “The Structure of
your Essay”.
Nobody likes to read texts that are too long, especially when they are badly
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structured. On the other hand, when your essay is too short, one might suspect you Go through all the documents in a “diagonal” way (see Annex 2
to have ran out of time, yielding a bad score for “Prioritising and Organising”. – Speed Reading) and try to find the information which is relevant to
the questions asked. While “skimming” the documents you add this
But what is an “APPROPRIATE” LENGTH? information in the proper “chapter” of your text. Use lists with short
but complete sentences. There is no problem with literally copying
I used to recommend a total length of around 1000 words (the equivalent sentences, as long as they convey your ideas.
of four pages of A4), but I have recently come across a few jewels, very good
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essays that were much shorter than that. These essays contained all the Review your text and try to come up with some good
necessary elements, were very well structured, and written in a fluent and recommendations (if asked for). You may find interesting ideas in the
clearly understandable language. I felt compelled to give good scores for all the documentation, but it is permitted to be creative and come up with ideas
competencies and realised that the overall length was of little concern. of your own. Ideally, your recommendations should be SMART (read
about this in Annex 1).
As a result, my recommendation would now be to aim for around 500 words –
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or two pages of A4 – or preferably a bit more, just to show that you did not run out Write an introduction or executive summary which explains to the
of time and be potentially penalized for “Prioritising and Organising”. reader what the context and the content of your essay is (“abstract”). Be
compelling.
Is this a GOLDEN RULE?
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Write a conclusion. Repeat in your own words what the general ideas of
Not really, as long as you stay aware that somebody your essay are. The markers will be “speed-reading” your essay, so make
actually has to read your work and form an opinion it stick.
on it. It is a good strategy to make the life of your
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readers as easy as possible, because after all, they Review your text to weed out superfluous information, spelling errors
are human beings as well, and they have to cope and other common mistakes.
with their own time constraints. And don’t forget:
they will probably be speed-reading too.
Before you start the Case Study, you will receive a 5-minute tutorial. This tutorial Imagine that for a given competition there are 1000
instructs you on how to navigate through the test. After you have finished the candidates, therefore 1000 Case Studies have to
tutorial and are ready to start the test, please press “END”. This will transfer you to be marked. As every Case Study has to be marked
the Introduction screen of the Case Study. twice, this adds up to 2000 marked Case Studies. When the marks given by two
markers for an individual Case Study are too far apart, a third marking is required.
Before you start your Case Study you will be able to view the assignment and
scenario for 3 minutes. Please note that you will be able to access this assignment The markers are usually present on the premises where the Case Study takes
at any time during the exercise by clicking on the assignment exhibit button. place. Markers receive a special training in which marking of the Case Study is
explained. Markers also get clear and written instructions on how to do their
The Case Study is to be drafted in your language 2 (see your invitation letter). It is work.
not possible to change this option. You will be provided with the keyboard you have
indicated in the on-line questionnaire. The number of markers and their presence during the exercise is dependent
on the competition.
The editor is very simple, similar to Notepad, and IT DOES NOT ALLOW FOR TABLES,
GRAPHS OR DRAWINGS. Once the exercise is finished, markers get a LIMITED AMOUNT OF TIME to
provide their markings. Usually, this happens in parallel with the rest of the
In order to ensure that the exams are marked anonymously, you should not add Assessment Centre (which is performed by other people, the members of the
any name, signature or distinguishing marks (initials, remarks unrelated to the Selection Board).
context, phone numbers, email addresses…) anywhere in your essay as this may
bring about the Selection Board’s decision to remove you from the competition. Nevertheless, the marking task is on the “critical path” in terms of the planning
of the whole competition; when the marking is delayed, the whole Assessment
The Case Study simulations at http://www.eutraining.eu/case_study_simulations Centre is delayed.
are very similar to the real IT tool that is used by EPSO, so it is a very good idea to
try at least one in order not to come unprepared at the day of the exam.
YOURSELF write_clearly_en.pdf)
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Improve your DRAFTING SKILLS by writing some more texts and
having them verified with free tools like:
• http://www.online-utility.org/
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• http://www.grammarly.com/
Practice “SPEED READING” as described in Annex 2.
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Ask a friend or colleague to REVIEW your texts, make sure you
You can do this in advance, the more you practice the better you will
address the right audience.
get at it.
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Do some reading on the EU INSTITUTIONS and the LEGISLATIVE Take at least one of the CASE STUDY SIMULATIONS on eutraining.eu.
procedures. These simulation exercises have been prepared by me, and I personally
correct every single one of them as if I were a real ‘marker’; the only
Places to start could be: difference is that you will also get my comments and suggestions.
• http://www.europedia.moussis.eu/books/Book_2/2/4/3/?all=1
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• http://europa.eu/eu-law/ Carefully read the “INSTRUCTIONS TO CANDIDATES” you will
• http://europa.eu/legislation_summaries/institutional_affairs/treaties/ receive from EPSO with your invitation to the Case Study exercise.
• http://www.europarl.europa.eu/aboutparliament/en/007c895f4c/
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Powers-and-procedures.html Read this booklet again, THE DAY BEFORE YOUR EXAM.
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Refresh your GENERAL KNOWLEDGE of your field (only if
applicable).
Specific. Great goals are well-defined and focused. “A further emission Now, how do you tackle this? The answer is “SPEED READING” or “DIAGONAL
S reduction to 95g CO2/km” is more meaningful than “decrease the CO2 READING”.
emissions.” The moment you focus on a goal, your goal becomes a
magnet, pulling you and your stakeholders toward it. The more focused Speed reading is about skimming the reading material to gather its general
your energies, the more power you generate. meaning and purpose. Flip through the documentation and read the titles, pull-
out quotes and any diagrams. Then go back and read the table of contents and
Measurable. A goal without a measurable outcome is like a sports the summary, if applicable. This sets your mind up to better understand the
M competition without a scoreboard or scorekeeper. Numbers are an purpose and terminology before you delve into the text.
essential part of politics. Monitor the evolution to know if you’re on track.
A goal keeps yourself and your stakeholders focused on the targeted Most of the diagonal readers give the content a first pass by reading a text
results you want to attain. “passively” - just like one would browse a magazine, look at photographs, or
watch television, i.e. they are not really paying attention to the small details, rather
Attainable. Far too often goals are set beyond reach. Dream big and aim they are waiting for something to really pop out at them.
A for the stars but keep one foot firmly based in reality.
The average reader reads about 240 words per minute, where as a diagonal
Relevant. Achievable goals are based on the current conditions and climate. reader ‘scans’ closer to 15 words per second or about 900 words per minute.
R You may want to reduce the CO2 emission down to zero but if the industry and So, there are at least three, and up to five important sections of an article that a
the public opinion are not ready, then your goals aren’t relevant. diagonal reader will see in the approximately 10 seconds they will initially allocate
to a text:
Time-Based. Goals and objectives just don’t get done when there’s no
T time frame tied to the goal-setting process. You have to choose a time-
• The title or headline of the article.
• The subtitles or subheadings within the text.
frame with which to accomplish your goal.
• Any bold, underlined, quoted, or otherwise highlighted text.
In the complex environment of the EU it is not always possible to set SMART goals • Pictures, graphs, charts, or images of any nature.
and objectives. However, keeping these criteria in mind will help to move toward • A summary of the article.
a better world.
Another mistake is the idea that you have to read from start-to-finish. There • FOCUS THE RIGHT SENSES ON READING. Although many people are used
is absolutely no reason you can’t start by reading the conclusion or summary, to reading out loud or imagine a voice attached to the words, your mind may
then go back to the introduction or jump around through different paragraphs absorb the material faster by “cutting out the middle men” and connecting
or chapters. Sometimes it’s worth picking out what you’re interested in from the them straight from the eye to the brain. Read without moving your lips. In
table of contents or index and starting from there. fact, by using your finger – or a pen - as a guide, you can actually read and
comprehend the material faster. Your finger can act as a pace-setter for your
brain, going as fast as you can retain the information.
NOT SPEED READING ALL • Methodology of getting the HIGHEST SCORE in your case study
THE TIME • How to STRUCTURE TIME during the case study, managing difficulties
• Preparation of RESOURCES, USEFUL WEBSITES, background
These speed reading tips should reading information
only be used when going through • 4 Case Study SAMPLES and FEEDBACK Included
the background material.